4 Most Unexpected Cities for an Active Lifestyle

Walking to the supermarket? Check. Swapping a bike for a car for your daily commute? Easy. Taking a post-dinner stroll in a neighboring green-space? Count us in. With a surge in large-scale redevelopment initiatives, many cities are pushing its residents to embrace active lifestyles, exchanging car keys for walking shoes and appreciating neighborhoods in a whole new way.

Some cities are known to be more pedestrian friendly than others. We’re looking at you, New York City and Boston. But interestingly enough, there are a few unexpected areas bursting with activity too.

We say the easiest way to live a consistently active lifestyle is to pick an area that features work, retail and entertainment within a few-mile radius, ensuring you’ll choose to walk instead of hunting for your keys, braving traffic and searching for a parking spot. Seriously, who has time for that? If places like New York City and Boston aren’t what you had in mind, consider these four other cities for an equally active lifestyle.

Chicago

Sure, winters in Chicago may be harsh, but braving wind and snow is a necessary sacrifice to reach summer, where residents revel in sunshine, low humidity and sprawling green spaces.

Throughout the Windy City, much of its 77 neighborhoods are bundled together, making it easy to walk a few blocks and find the essentials, like supermarkets, offices, stores and restaurants. Parking isn’t always the easiest either, which means you’ll be more inclined to take a stroll rather than jump in your car.

For runners and cyclists, the Bloomingdale Trail, nicknamed the 606 to locals, offers a 3-mile stretch to explore, with nearby Bucktown, Humboldt Park and Wicker Park on the way. Humboldt Park, west of Wicker Park, sports a 207-acre space with a lagoon, perfect for a jog or a family barbecue. River North offers the best proximity to Chicago’s downtown life, while Lincoln Park is home to sights of Lake Michigan, a free zoo and DePaul University, which attracts a medley of nearby restaurants, stores and bars.

Austin

In recent years, Austin has transformed into a vibrant city where activity is plentiful and cars are optional. Near downtown, there are more than 10 miles of hiking and biking trails around Lady Bird Lake, serving as a hub for runners, walkers and bikers. There is also a large concentration of restaurants, bars and grocery stores within walking distance, including the Whole Food headquarters.

In Clarksville, visit Red Bud Isle on Town Lake, where many enjoy canoeing, kayaking or long walks. For entertainment, South Congress sports community events like First Thursday, where stores stay open late and people crowd the streets for a block party-style event. Keep an eye out for the annual fest East Austin Studio Tour, which encourages attendees to walk the neighborhood while hunting for art.

Atlanta

With new and unique development projects across Atlanta, find an unexpected walkable city boasting live-work-play initiatives that’ll have you craving a quick stroll to work or an evening walk for a coffee.

In central Buckhead Village, find luxury shops and high-rise condos connected by walkable sidewalks. Take about a 10-minute walk to the Buckhead Theatre, which hosts many live performances through the month.

In Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward, known as O4W to locals, roam its flourishing arts scene where many former warehouses have transformed into trendy galleries.

Virginia Highland, one of Atlanta’s original "streetcar suburbs," (VaHi to locals) is among the most pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods in the city, where stores, restaurants and work spaces are steps away from residential complexes, making it hard to remember why you ever invested in a car.

Miami

Ah, Miami. It’s the city ranked No. 4 by Walk Score for most walkable lifestyle, though many of its locals aren’t sure why. (Blistering temperatures and unexpected rain showers, maybe?) But we’re here to tell you to dispel what you’ve heard. Despite unpredictable weather, a few of Miami’s neighborhoods are extremely pedestrian-friendly and promote all-around active lifestyles.

Those who live in South Beach have shops, restaurants and entertainment at their fingertips. Development is packed across the coastline, welcoming those interested in a walk versus a car ride.

A few miles away, Brickell is where work meets play. Start your day with a jog along the Miami River, walk to work and take an afternoon coffee break at a nearby café and stop at a cycling studio or a boutique boot-camp on your way home. It’s easy to live car-free in this part of Miami, thanks to the area’s crowded retail and residential development.

Further south, Coconut Grove features some of Miami’s best green spaces, including Peacock Park and Kennedy Park. Visit its center village too – Coco Walk – filled with outdoor cafés and restaurants, galleries, retail and low- to mid-rise condos.

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About the author

Clarissa Buch is a writer and editor who has covered Miami for more than half a decade. Her work focuses on food and culture (and food culture). She is also the founder of Buch Haus, a boutique writing studio. For more information, visit clarissabuch.com.